1. Field
This disclosure relates generally to the field of containers and specifically to containers that hold and protect medical devices, such as needles and/or catheters, for transport and storage.
2. Description of Related Art
Medical devices often require special care when stored and transported prior to use. In some situations, the devices can cause damage or injury if accidentally brought into contact with a person, such as when a medical needle inadvertently pierces someone's skin. In addition, medical devices are often fragile and can be damaged easily if not protected. Moreover, in many situations, medical devices must be exposed to a sterilization procedure during the manufacturing process and then must be maintained in a sterile environment until used. These factors present challenges to those who manufacture, transport, and use medical devices. These challenges can be especially difficult in fast-paced, urgent-care medical settings, such as in emergency facilities in hospitals, on the battlefield, and in civil first-responder situations.
For example, in military settings, military medics often carry backpack type medical kits made of durable cloth-like materials that contain various essential items for dealing with life threatening wounds. These soft kits are often subject to severe stresses associated with the rigors of warfare, where the individual carrying the soft kit is often running along walls, diving on the ground, and generally engaging in rigorous physical activity that impact the items in the kit. Furthermore, these soft kits are often carried through dirty or contaminated environments by the military medics, such as through rivers, mud, etc.
Among the various items included in these soft medical kits are various needles and catheters, such as those used for administering intravenous fluid. Some kits can include decompression hypodermic needles intended for use in the management of combat casualties who present signs and symptoms of tension pneumothorax.
Often, such needles and catheters come packaged in a flexible paper and plastic wrapper that does little to protect the contents inside from physical impacts and other stresses. In some circumstances, the devices may even poke through the paper packaging and thereby lose sterility or even cause personal injury.